Fruit-gatherer.



N0. 760,048. PATENTED MAY 17, 1904. J. WILSON.

FRUIT GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1908.

N0 MODEL.

wifnesses- I fnvemfa r: & Joseph Wilson 0, p #4,,

UNITED STATES Patented May 1'7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRUlT-GATHERER.

SPECIFICATION f g P of Letters Patent N04 760,048, dated May 17 1904.

Application filed June 1, 1903. Serial No. 159,503. (No model.)

To 6?, 1071/0711, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duarte, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Gatherers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fruit-gathering bags of the class wherein the bottom of the bag is open and held up to form a closureflap to close the bottom of the bag while the latter is being filled, but may be let down when desired to allow the contents of the bag to fall outthrough the open bottom.

An object of this invention is to improve such bags by providing a better construction of frame, making provisions for greater strength, and for keeping the mouth of the bag rigidly open and the bottom tightly closed and evenly balanced while the bag is in use, also to provide for holding the bag in a wellbalanced and comfortable position.

Another object is to give a better form to the bag and make the open end thereof firm and of asmooth and convenient external form, at the same time providing unobtrusive means for fastening the supports of the bag, also for providing a larger opening while the bag is in use, so that the fruit can be more readily deposited therein by the gatherer.

Another object is durability and protection against wear and provision for an easy rest against the body of the picker.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure I is a view of the invention as it appears in use by an orange-picker. Fig. II is a vertical mid-section of the fruit-gatherer. Fig. III is a detached detail view of the mouthframe of the bag. Fig. IV is a detached View of wire at the bottom of the bag. A fragment of the closing connection is also shown.

1 indicates the bag, which may be made of any suitable fabric or flexible material. At the top of the bag is provided a frame 2, which is adapted to hold the mouth of the bag open to allow the fruit to be deposited conveniently therein, which frame, as shown'more fully in Fig. III, is desirably formed of wire of sufficient stiffness, bent into approximately rectangular shape with the outer side bowed outwardly. In order to form the frame of a single piece of wire and at the same time form eyes for attachment of the suspending devices, the said wire is bent or looped at each of the corners of the frame to form eyes 3, the ends of the wire being formed with eyes 33, which are engaged with one another to complete the rectangular frame. The eyes 3, that serve for attachment of the suspension devices, are turned inwardly of the frame thereof to reduce to a minimum the leverage exerted on the frame by the weight of the fruit in the bag. At the outer or bowed side of the frame 2 it is desirably provided with a reinforcing-wire 4, which is preferably secured solely tothe front side of the frame by being bound to the main wire 2 by suitable bindings 5, of wire or other appropriate material. A brace 6 is looped at 7 around the rear side of part of the wire frame 2, and extends forwardly directly across the mouth of the bag at the mid-length of said mouth, being at its forward end looped around the front portion of the wire frame 2 and then further bent to form a hook 8. In order to prevent lateral shifting of this wire brace 6 and hold it approximately centrally of the mouth of the bag, I prefer to form the wire 2 at the center of the front of the bag with a depressed loop or bend 9, through which the said wire 6 extends or is looped. The mouth of said loop is closed and guarded by the reinforcing-piece 4:, so that thesuspending means within said loop cannot be displaced.

The suspension device (indicated at 10 in Fig. I) has suitable hooks or eyes 11, engaging in the eyes 3 aforesaid to support the frame 2. Said suspension device may be of any suitable character, as its special construction forms no part of my present invention.

The mouth of the upper end of the bag 1 is looped over the frame 2 and secured thereon by any suitable means, such as by bondsor edge strips 12 of leather or other suitable material fastened by rivets 13, which pass through said strips or bonds and through the fabric of the bag below the frame 2.

A shield or bearing-piece 14 of leather or use in connection with bags which have an open bottom through which the fruit may be discharged, such bottom being held closed when the bag is being filled by folding up the lower portion of the bag against the front of the bag and suspending it from the upper portion. In order to efiectually close the bottom of the bag in this manner, especially when the bag is full and the bottom lowered to the position for greatest capacity, it is necessary to provide means for holding the closure edge or lip of the discharge-opening extended laterally, so as to prevent it from bulging out or being distorted under the weight of the fruit, and therebyforming openings through which some of the fruit may pass out. I provide for this purpose a stiffening and closing wire 16, which extends along and is securedto the bottom edge of the bag at the rear side thereof that is, the side next the user-and is bent at its ends to form eyes 17 for facilitating attachment to the bag, rivets18 being passed through the bonds 19 and through these eyes and bonds. At each side of its center and intermediate its ends this stiffening and closing wire is formed with eyes 20 for attachment of the suspension device 21, consisting of a chain attached at its upper end to the frame 2 of the bag and having any desirable number of eyes 22, that may be caught on the hook 8 aforesaidto raise the bottom of the bag more or less, as maybe desired. By providing the two eyes 20 on each side of the center of this stiffening and closing wire I prevent any sagging, or tilting of the closing end of the bag to one side or the other, which I find to be an important desideratum, since attachment to the center of this wire only is liable toresult in the closing end of the bag falling down to one sideor the other in such manner as to cause considerable inconvenience and even to allow thefruit to escape. 7

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is v 1. A frame for the mouth of a fruit-gathering bag formed of a bent wire with a loop in the wire along the side of the frame, suspension means supported by said loop and a reinforcing-piece bound to said wire on that side of the frame, and closing the mouth of said loop. V

2. In a fruit-gathering bag, a wire bent to form a frame for the mouth of the bag, a brace extending across the frame and connected to the sides thereof, and suspension means connecting the bottom of the bag with said brace.

3. In a fruit-gathering bag, a brace extending across the mouth of the bag and connected to the sides thereof, a hook connected to said brace and suspension means connecting the bottomof the bag with said hook.

4. A fruit-gathering bag comprising a suspension device, a frame having inturned eyes at its corners connected to said suspension device, a brace extending between and secured to the front and rear sides of said frame at substantially the mid-length thereof and a bag supported on said frame.

5. A fruit-gathering bag comprising a frame at the top of the bag, a brace extending across the mouth of the bag, and secured to the sides thereof, and having a hook formed thereon, closing means for the bottom of the bag, and suspending means connected to said closing means and to the hook.

6. In a fruit-gatherer, an open-ended receptacle,.the lower end of which is adapted to be folded up against the front to close saidend,

a wire extending across the lower end of the rear side of the receptacle andsecured thereto, and means secured to said wire on each side of its middle and adapted to be detaehably se cured to the top of the receptacle in front.

7 In a fruit-gatherer, an open-ended receptacle, the lower, end of which is adapted to be folded up against the front to close said end, a wire extending across the lower end of the rear side of the receptacle and secured thereto, and provided with two eyes, one on each side of the middle of the wire and each eye projecting forward in the line of the length of the receptacle, and a chain secured to said eyes at one end and adapted to be adjustably secured to the top of the receptacle in front.

8. In a fruit-gatherer, an open-ended receptacle, the lower end of which is adapted to be folded up against the front to close said end, a wire extending across the lower end of the rear side of the receptacle, each'end of which is provided with an eye and having two in: termediateeyes, one on each side of the middleof the wire, bonds over said wire and the edge of thereceptacle. a rivet through the eye and the bond at each end of the wire, and a chain secured to the intermediate eyes at one end and adapted to be adjustably secured to the top of the receptacle in front.

JOSEPH WILSON.

WVitnesses:

ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, JULIA TOWNSEND. 

